2010-10-21 - Meta-Brawl for Life: Cat Thief
Wildcat arrives early before the fighting begins. He is planning to watch them from the sub-levels and do some talking, see when his next fight with Erik the Red will be set-up, etc. He is not alone tonight however as he races across the roof tops and leaps across the gaps with practiced ease. He has a purple feline clinging to his back, half in a backpack just in case her clawed grip slips she won't fall. He soon pauses his running a warehouse away from the one in question. "This is the place," he says quietly, his voice rough as he speaks to Catseye. See, he told her he dressed up as a cat! "The second floor is accessible by a door on the ground floor, and I suspect those windows there," he says with a point. "I can likely get one cracked open for you to slip in and out, but concerned about your escape route Catseye." Cyclops, dressed as Erik the Red, is showing up to the warehouse. He has taken his time to make sure he was not followed. He adjusts his leather jacket and heads inside. There is a peace and calm to the place before all the fighting starts and the yelling of the crowd. He likes to get there early for that exact reason. He runs his gloved hands along the wall and then along the fence around the main ring as he walks through the area. Catseye was very pleased and amused to see Ted Grant in his Wildcat costume, and she very much approved of the changing. It's only fitting that he dresses as a cat when she sometimes dresses as a human. Rather excited to go out with him on something that is so foreign to her daily life, Catseye is looking forward to this little exploration mission. "Catseye find way out, always window, she find!" Looking towards the windows Wildcat intend to crack for her, Catseye hisses in anticipation. The entrance for the fighters is separate from the rich folks for good reason. At least it gives Wildcat a good view to notice that Erik is visiting tonight as well. He wanted to talk to that kid again. "There is supposed to be another area I don't know about too, where they keep the 'unwilling' fighters prisoner. I need to find out where that area is, when they are transporting money for the betting and so on. Basically, anything useful. Be wary of Roulette, I met her and she isn't to be messed with. It wouldn't matter if you were a cat, she would still plant a bullet between your eyes kid." Wildcat feels bad asking Catseye to do this, but he needs someone that can get in and out without being seen. "Anyway, are you able to get out and get up to the roof from the window without me?" Cyclops walks through the quiet arena slowly. His footsteps echo slightly without all the bodies there to soak up the noise. His bruises and injuries from his last fight seem to be well on their way to being healed, and he does not walk or move with apparent pain. He finds the log book and leafs through the pages looking at which fights are tonight and who he might get a chance to learn something about. "Catseye fast, she not get hit, move very very sneakysneaky!" Apparently Catseye has no concept of good people and evil people, not really understanding that this vile woman apparently is capable of killing a cat just for wandering around her place of operation. "Meow!" Is the only reply Catseye gives as she leaps out of Wildcat's backpack and starts on her way up the roof as if it was an everyday walk down the street. Wildcat is actually impressed by that, and soon follows. He has to come down and move up, using a weighed rope - weighed on one end that was in one of the other pockets of the backpack. He is soon climbs up along the warehouse and pulls a tool from the side pocket of his backpack. He isn't a B&E specialist, but he knows how bad these old windows are. Working with a flat metal tool, he carefully opens the lock and slides the window up a crack. "Be careful Catseye," Wildcat feels he can't whisper that enough. "If you aren't seen, try to sneak in below and let me know when you are done. If you are seen, run and hide, then come to my apartment later tonight." And then slides back down his rope before the minions come paroling. With a wiggle he has the weight coming down and falling into one palm. He slips it away into his backpack and then hides it behind a dumpster to pick up later before he heads inside. He is just going to have to trust Catseye, he doesn't want proof that someone was rooting through Roulette's stuff. Wait...does the cat even know how to read?! Wildcat needs to work on his planning skills! Scott's eyes are hidden behind his visor as he scans over the logs. His face makes no visible reaction to the names on the page. No real discussion of meta abilities though. Silly stage names really tell you nothing about what is going to be happening once they are in the ring. Who could have figured out Bufftastic was some armor plating ego trip from that name. Alright, the ego was probably easy to figure out if he was actually going to use Buff in his name. He snaps the book closed and begins to head to the subbasement where the fighters will gather. Catseye makes her way to the cracked window by the roof and sneaks inside the complex, once inside, she keeps to the side of the walls, looking for any bit of furniture and decoration such as a vase of some sort to hide herself as she makes a gradual advancement further in the complex, her eyes looking all around for any bit of evidence of the sort Wildcat wanted. There should be some prisoners, maybe trainers, maybe captors, and some other stuff. That other stuff, Catseye isn't too sure about, but she promised Wildcat she'll tell him about anything she can find. Thugs are starting to prepare and patrol, moving about an not remaining much idle. Wildcat himself is moving into the sub-entrance to enter the area where fighters gather. He is already looking around and doing well at appearing normal. Wildcat raises a hand in greeting, "Erik," his tone gruff. Not much for vases, but there is a crate of guns, and cases of wine bottles that are about. It is a hallway with a number of office doors, most all closed so it will require some creative thinking. Talking is in one of the rooms, a feminine voice. A suited male steps out from that room, leaving the door ajar for a few moments time before he closes it. "Cat," Scott replies in greeting. He nods to the older man and moves towards him. The hired thugs get a once over from the visored gaze of Cyclops but he seems to regard them more like furniture then anything else. "How are you today? We aren't scheduled to fight today, are we?" He slips his hands into his jacket pocket as he stands next to the slightly taller man. "Unless they try to keep us on our toes by not really telling us when we are fighting." Catseye makes do with what is in there, taking note of the crate of guns, and of the cases of wine, she's not sure Wildcat would care for it but he did tell her to pay attention to everything. Good thing she has that photographic memory, what remains to be seen is if she'll be able to convey what she sees in a manner Wildcat could comprehend. She tries to leap at one of the closed doors and get the handle to give in, when suddenly she picks on conversation and immediately sneaks towards that room, the seconds she has to sneak in with the door ajar she does, and keeps next to the wall, eyes hunting for a good place to hide before she looks about the room's content. Wildcat reaches a hand out to shake Erik's in greeting if welcomed. "No, we aren't. Wanted to stop by and see the competition and check on when we are scheduled. Sometimes they just give you dates, but one of them let it slip you were my next opponent. By the way, how are you healing?" A hint of rough concern in his tone. Why Wildcat cares, well...don't ask him, he won't answer. Roulette in her typical sexy red dress with too much leg revealed sits behind a desk. A man stands on her right near the wall, looking at her as she speaks. "He isn't making me much yet. Not worth the money in his care. But his popularity is rising. Ah well, if he doesn't get better, we will just destroy him and dump his furry body in the river," she says in disgust. "Also, how are the plans for the more creative 'fights' coming along? I'd like to make those 'by invitation' only." "They are coming along well boss. The first fighters, Wildcat and Erik the Red have been selected for the new arena. We just have to finish the construction of the coarse and installation of the cameras," the suit thug replies. "I'm fine," Scott says with a casual albeit almost flat tone. "Certainly have been in a fight or two." He nods as he sees some of tonight's fighters getting ready. He has remained distant from most of them, but still gives them a cordial greeting as they pass by. "I just saw tonight's schedule. Do you know when we are supposed to meet up?" He doesn't sound anxious or eager, but rather as if asking what the weather report will be tomorrow. "No, but I'll find out for us. Make sure you recover well, I want you to give it all you have against me," Wildcat advises. "Give me a moment, I'll speak with the manager." He glances toward the entrance and then moves to find the manager. His body is more tense than last time, but otherwise he hides his nervousness very well. Catseye looks out for some kind of book stand, closet, or any such piece of furniture to curl up against, or if possible sneak behind so she can remain hidden while listening to the conversation. She already saw Roulette and the man she is talking to, now she just have to make sure to try and make the most she can out of understanding this conversation. Not an easy thing when she is not really familiar with a lot of vocabulary. Scott nods and calls out as Wildcat moves off. "Don't worry. I certainly expect our fight to be one where I have to give my all or else be left a spot on the ring floor." He delivers that deadpan as he moves towards the spot where he can watch the fights getting started now. The crowds around the ring are still small, but he can see folks starting to arrive as the first preliminary fights of the evening are getting started. There is not much in here, but there is a bookcase filled with...certainly not books. A few weapons, blades and other such things. You might end up knocking something over. There is a large red bag laying on the floor near the desk, like a tote purse that many women are carrying about these days. Roulette nods firmly at that. "Make sure it happens. I want to ready for next weekend. Now, we need new meat for the fighting ring. The storage below is getting a little empty. See what you can rope up in the grottoes." Wildcat chuckles at Scott's words, then finds the manager. After a little bit of talking, Wildcat moves to find you once again. There is a frown on his face. "Next weekend he expects, or so. He doesn't have an exact date. Says it might be a new location too." This makes Wildcat less than pleased or comfortable. He glances side-long at Erik to see what his response to this information is. Does this kid care at all? Spying the tote purse, Catseye brings herself low again the ground and crawls towards it, peering to see if it opens, so she may try and sneak inside of it to hide. All the while her ears swivel in the direction of Roulette, picking up the conversation's details. Scott nods slowly as he takes in the information. "Think we will be able to see the new location before we fight or think they will just shove us in blind?" He doesn't like the idea of not having some knowledge of the ground he will be fighting on and a little bit of that frustration is apparent in his voice. "Guess this place is doing almost too well then if they are expanding. I would have thought they would keep it low key so as to not attract attention. Must have money going to the right places." The purse is closed, but also places you closer to beneath the desk. Roulette swirls in her chair and leans over the desk to write something down. "Place an order for these. We should send a special thank you to Mr. Stark for the idea and an invitation," she comments with a wicked smile. "Things should be getting more exciting, and I do love exciting." Wildcat nods. "Likely blind. It was how I was thrown into my first fight here actually. The organization is larger than you can imagine Erik," his voice pitched low. "It is getting larger. A few greased hands, a few missing people, it happens all the time, doesn't it?" A bitter twist of his mouth for a few moments. His minds stray to Catseye, hoping she isn't one of the ones that go 'missing'. Disappointed that the purse is closed, Catseye sneaks underneath the desk and remains there lying on the floor, ears perked, just trying to understand as much as she can. If the woman would leave later, she may try to get a look at what's on the table, but it's doubtful she'd leave anything of worth right out in the open. "Heck, the place probably thinks they are doing a public service and getting rid of mutants on the streets." Scott's brow furrows slightly as the two combatants in the ring are more sloppy then efficient as they attack each other. "Just because the Registration Act fell apart doesn't mean that people really like or accept mutants any more then they did before the incident in Westchester." Wildcat scowls at that, "Not everyone feels that way." He shakes his head, drawing his personal feelings back inside him. The man does have a temper, but he is careful not to lose it with you or here. Too much self-control. "Well, I won't stop fighting. I've had friends that suffered by legal legislation, hell, I suffered from it. I won't be just written off, and I know others that deserve better. Hope you feel the same, because if you don't...you are just laying in your grave and just haven't bothered to stop breathing yet." Roulette soon stands up, "Let's get out there. The fights have already started and I should make an appearance," she says with a dramatic sigh. "And no real interesting fights tonight." The suited thug bows and moves to open the door for Roulette as the two walk out, leaving Catseye behind. The purse is luckily left behind, guess Roulette doesn't really expect any of her people to bother it...so if you had climbed in it...good to know you wouldn't have been carried away! Catseye peers from behind the desk, making sure Roulette leaves, and once the door closes she grins and leaps up on the chair and from there to the table to see if she can find anything upon it. There's time to look at the purse a moment later. "Enough people do. Certainly encountered and dealt with plenty of it." There is anger in Scott's tone as he can't help himself and his usual cool exterior shows just a few cracks. "Trying to do something about it. I have friends that also feel that way too. We are, by no means, going gentle into the night despite the best effort of some." His hands clench slightly and his knuckles pop softly. That actually causes Wildcat to grin, "Good. I didn't want to take you for an idiot. Let's see if you can back up those words Erik, and perhaps in return you can gain something you didn't have before." He then turns back to watch more of the fight going on. The desk is mostly cleaned off. There is a laptop currently with a locked screen saver on, a pad of paper and a container of pens. Though there are some indentions left on the pad of paper from where Roulette had written on it earlier. She must have pressed hard. Catseye doesn't make much of the laptop, just a strange object with pretty images, nothing important here. She does study the indentions on the pad however, leaping to the floor she shifts into her human form and rips the next page with the indentations, figuring Wildcat may appreciate it if she brings it back with her. Next she turns to study the contents of the purse. Scott turns to look at Wildcat and an eyebrow goes up over his visor. "Something I didn't have before? Cat, you haven't struck me as someone who generally likes riddles. Can I get a clue?" There is a subtle tone of amusement in his voice as he asks. His hands come up to rest on the fence, slipping his fingers through the holes, and gripping at it as he also looks back into the ring. The two men seem to be getting tired now. It is only a matter of time before one screws up and gets his clocked clean as he drops his defenses. In the purse there is: a gun, a dagger, a wallet with fake ID, plenty of money as well and credit cards. There are also some business cards interestingly enough. Some of the business cards have strange symbols on them. "No way, I want to keep your interest kid. Sometimes for the younger generation, you have to get creative to keep their interest. Promise rewards, create some mystery, that sort of thing. The world is changing, but it is on an edge. It could be for the better or for the worse. The actions of individuals can tip the balance, but image if there can be something more? Something more powerful to tip the balance for the better? This place isn't doing that...," his words trailing off as he falls silent when a minion thug moves closer as if to try and ease drop. The noise of the crowd make it difficult. Sharon Smith wonders at this point if it's better to just get this purse and have Wildcat decides what's important in it, or keep going and see if she can find where prisoners are being kept. Not considering repercussions should Roulette discover the theft, she eventually picks up the wallet, and decides to sneak out to stash it before sneaking back in. "If you say so," Scott says with a soft sigh. He watches closely as one of the men in the ring suddenly slips as he charges. The other, with a glowing fist of some sort, brings that fist down hard on the downed man's neck. The crack can be heard all the way to where they are standing. Scott winces slightly at the sound, but otherwise seems indifferent. "I hope the balance is tipped in the way you speak of. I just don't have a lot of faith in that just now." "I hope that guy is still breathing. That didn't sound pleasant," and his intense blue eyes narrow. He grunts, "He is still breathing," answering his own question. He nods, "All we can do is give it our all, right?" He keeps things even vaguer now just in case someone is listening in as they appear to show interested in the conversation between the two of you. He does glance back toward the entrance briefly as it opens and lets someone in, but no feline to be found. The entire purse is soon hide atop the roof and Sharon slips back inside in cat form to continue the search; though she will have to dart behind some crates to hide from thugs coming in and out for wine and such. One thug says, "Get these into the fridge to chill to replace the ones used. Hurry up; we might need them before the night is out." One of the other office doors is opened, but that just holds fridges and such for the wine. There one doorway covered only by a curtain, but if you peek under the curtain you will see Roulette and two suited thugs watching the fight below, from her balcony. "Give it out all," Scott repeats with a nod. He looks over at Wildcat as the downed man is pulled away through the dirt of the arena. "Our fight is going to end badly, isn't it? I mean, they won't let it end with us shaking hands, congratulations passed to each other for a good fight, and then both us head back to the lockers. I can't say I am looking forward to it." He lets his hands drop from the fence and he clasps them behind his back. "I'm not going to give any quarter. You know that right?" His tone is a mix of regret and confidence as he studies Wildcat for a response. Wildcat gives you a cool eying. "If you don't give me your all, I /will/ hurt you and hurt you bad Erik," he says with an utmost seriousness. "Don't dirty my fights by throwing it or not taking it seriously. That is a good way to piss me off!" Yes, Wildcat is a fighter and it shines through. "I'm not going to kill you though, and expect the same treatment in return. I want us to realize we put our all into it, and be able to both leave with our pride in tact. If either of us holds back, we lose our pride, or joy in the fight. It becomes a punishment, a pity fight. Neither of us deserve that." Catseye feels mighty proud of her acquisitions, one purse with stuff, and one piece of paper with stuff indented on it. Pretty clever, now she'll have to try and spot the prisoners Wildcat mentioned. She continues to move along from one hide out behind crates to the next, she peers into the room with the fridges but it's of no interest. She does get a bit closer to the room with the curtain, she is after all a cat, and is very much curious, wondering what is it that Roulette and her partners are watching. She tries to sneak as close as she can to catch a glimpse. The balcony wall is solid, but low. Still not low enough for Catseye to see down into the fighting ring. She can hear the crowd though roaring and laughing. Bets being placed, and the announcer as he announces a new fight. Roulette looks bored and drinks a glass of some sort of liquor. The other two office doors if you get them open reveal only storage and there is a set of stairs that lead down to the first floor. Otherwise, appears to be nothing of interest here. Scott nods slowly. "I won't kill you. I won't take a cheap shot like that," he says with a nod towards the fighters finishing up in the ring. "I am scared though. I've practiced and fought a good bit. It's just, well, my optic blasts are powerful things." He trails off. He has always had a bit of fear of hurting someone with his powers. It is just one more reason why he is always so reserved. "Guess we will find out in the new arena." Catseye tries to get a bit closer, but eventually realizes there's a risk of being spotted, and from what she gathered from Wildcat's explanation, that evil woman doesn't like cats. For a moment she thinks it may be worth her while to get there and scratch the woman's face silly as punishment, but in the end, her commitment to Wildcat's mission wins and she slinks her way down to the first floor. It's okay if she has to shift briefly to human form to open the door before shifting back, who would notice. Wildcat snorts, "Not that I'd stay dead, but it still hurts like a mother f'er, let me tell you." After all, Wildcat is a meta-human and hasn't displayed many meta powers in his last fight. "You have to hit me first," Wildcat says with a wicked grin. You likely will get in a hit or two, Scott is just too good with his aiming for Wildcat to dodge them all. But it will be one heck of a fight to see! The door opens and Wildcat looks, but it is someone leaving, and he scowls. There are people to notice though as the first floor door opens, there are people in and out there off and on, fetching things, running errands, carrying messages to Roulette and so on. There is a soft chuckle from Scott after that one. "Yeah, I have to hit you first. Talked a little bit to Wildebeest when I was here before. He told me you are an elusive one." He turns his head as Wildcat's gaze moves to the door, but sees nothing to interest him. He shrugs slightly and looks back into the ring as the second fight of the evening starts. Catseye notes she'll have to be much more careful on this floor, too many people moving about, so she shifts into her kitten form, much smaller, much easier to hide, and starts sneaking along the sides of the hallway, stopping to hide whenever there's a crate to supply cover. She looks for a door or stairway that may lead further down or any other thing of interest. Wildcat grunts at that, "Elusive...he caught me once and my ribs hurt for weeks. That kid could have done worse damage...he...," Wildcat struggles for the right words. "He doesn't seem like a bad kid. He likes fighting though, like I do," and he smiles a little fondly at that. He likes the kid. As Catseye heads down the stairs to the first floor, a couple attendants open the door and starts to head up there. Of course, one of them catches sight of her. "Hey...what the...Ken, get a look at," as he points, but the purple cat is gone. "Huh? I swear I just saw a purple kitten." That causes some laughter, "Purple? What is wrong with you man? That's funny." "Monster of a kid though." Scott folds his arms across his chest as the two combatants begin to circle each other. There is a crackle of electricity as a bolt flies from one towards the other. The flash of the power illuminates the lower level for a brief instant and the smell of ozone quickly follows. "Kind of hope I don't have to go against him any time soon." Catseye hears that she's been spotted, and in her current kitten form it's no problem to hide between two crates, she waits until the coast is clear, and shifting back to her cat form, dashes out of the first floor, tracing back her steps to make her escape. Of course she'll make a stop to pick up the purse she collected on her way out. "Ah, you would live. You might not look pretty afterwards though. He fights like someone on WWF, so he doesn't use his claws or strength to the fullest of his ability. I'm not about to correct him anytime soon." Just in case, people are starting to search, and it isn't easy. People are told to keep an eye out, after all, they watch mutants fight in the ring night after night. They learn to be wary. Though a purple kitten? Maybe it's a baby mutant! Yes, the guy that spotted you gets ragged pretty hard. "Good to know. I will try to just knock him on his can if we ever have to go head to head." Scott sort of listens with one ear to the guards and hears purple kitten. He has met a purple kitten once, and his head turns around quickly. He doesn't move towards where the guards are, but his vision is scanning about looking for who it might be. "No, no, she needs to get out of here. She couldn't do this," he says mostly to himself rather then Ted. "Oh, he wears armor," Wildcat advises. When he hears about a purple kitten being passed around to the thugs to keep an eye open, Wildcat stiffens and listens. "Mmmmms?" But there is no declaration of findings, and Wildcat just has to have some faith in the girl. "I should be going anyway. I'll look forward to seeing you sometime next weekend, whichever day they actually schedule the fight." Catseye makes her way back out through the roof, where she morphs back to her human form to take the purse. She works her way in a surprisingly agile manner, moving much more like a cat than a human, even when in her human form, getting down from the roof. She fully intends to head back to Ted's place on her own with her winnings. "Looking forward to it, I suppose, as well. Be glad to get it out of the way in any case. See you next weekend." Scott is a fighter, but does not nearly have the zest for it that Ted does. He sees himself as a soldier rather then a pure fighter. To some, it may not be much of a difference, but to Scott it counts for a lot. "Take care. I will probably stay and watch a few more of the fights. Try to learn a thing or two. Haven't been here as long as you." A vague shrug, "Most are untrained street fighters. Not that they are all to sneeze at, but compared to what I've fought in the past?" He's had worse, but who knows. "If you find an exception, let me know. I'd like to see their fight." Wildcat than moves for the exit, watchful of the thugs. Deep inside, he has his fingers crossed for Catseye's safety. Category:Logs Category:Plot: Meta-Brawl for Life